A more recent genus and species of deep sea medusa, Vampyrocrossota childressi is allied to the cosmopolitan rhopalonematid genus Crossota, but differs notably in the shape and position of the gonads. It is the only described species of hydromedusa with black pigmentation. This is the only species of its genus.
Concerning its etymology, this genus received its name from the Serbian vampira, a demon that was supposed to hunt at night and eat the heart, blood and soul of his victim.
The inner surface of the bell is black with pigment fading out posteriorly towards the velum, which can also be black. This genus is particularly unusual because it is not a deep blue but a true black color.
It has been found in San Clemente Basin off Baja California, Mexico, and from the waters off Point Conception, California, at depths between 600 and 1475 meters. It is known only from the Pacific Ocean off the coasts of California and Oregon.
Vampyrocrossota is a genus of hydrozoans of the family Rhopalonematidae.[1] The genus only contains one species, Vampyrocrossota childressi.[2] Unlike many hydromedusae, these animals do not have a sessile stage. Rather, they spend their entire lives in the water column as plankton. It is the only known species with a medusa that is truly black.[1]
Vampyrocrossota childressi has only been found in the Pacific Ocean off California and British Columbia.[3] This deep-sea animal lives between 600–1475 m depth.[1]
This species was named after James J. Childress, a marine biologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara who helped discover this jellyfish.[4]
Vampyrocrossota is a genus of hydrozoans of the family Rhopalonematidae. The genus only contains one species, Vampyrocrossota childressi. Unlike many hydromedusae, these animals do not have a sessile stage. Rather, they spend their entire lives in the water column as plankton. It is the only known species with a medusa that is truly black.
